Renewed Youth
by ChibiChibo
Summary: The pools are slightly different, and a slightly different curse is obtained. Planned to be an sm cross later.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, and I will not be making any money off of them.

So, been having an idea for a fic kicking around in the back of my head, so I decided to write my first piece of fanfiction. Any C+C is appreciated.

I still remember that day as if it were yesterday. One fateful day that had the power to alter my life and everyone around me. A day that started like many of our days on that trip. We had finally reached the spot that Genma had most recently decided upon as a superior training ground.

As we approached a thick fog seemed to seep out of the ground obscuring our vision as we moved closer to the large group of pools in front of us. Clearly a training ground for balance, each pool had one or two slender bamboo poles jutting out.

Moments before we actually began our practice an old man rushed out of the single hut that marred the simple beauty of the area, "Sirs, please do not go near pools."

Ignoring the protests pops quickly loosed his back and leaped onto one of the near poles, and turned towards me with an expression of scorn. Clearly he had felt the same reticence I had at the mans words.

"Quit acting like a weak little girl, boy. Afraid of a getting a little wet in the sake of training?"

Yet even as I felt my legs tense in preparation of my jump I realized how silent the area was. This much water should have been a haven for animals yet there were none, none at all. Of course, even as that thought was concluding I had already launched myself to a pole. The precarious balance of a dew slick pole swaying with the force of my landing was enough to drive all ponderings away.

No sooner had I landed fully before pops had leapt to strike me, and once more we were joined in battle. The poles clearly wouldn't support the force of a block upon them, as if the Saotome school of Anything Goes was designed for this sort of place. The only option was to go on your own offensive leaping at your enemy in brutal midair combat.

After several volleys of blazing attacks pops made his first mistake, he simply hadn't noticed the next pole he was headed to was set at an odd angle. The few moments he used to find his balance before he could again attack were enough to give me an advantage this time round. Following an initial feint with an overhand slam propelled him straight into the water, and provided more than enough leverage to get to another pole. After a few moments he still hadn't surfaced it occured to me, maybe the pools were actually connected. A simple enough tactic to try and surprise me from an unexpected front. As I turned my head I saw something burst out of the water in the corner of my eye, and reacted with forms drilled into me ever since I could walk. As I brought my arm up to block and shifted my gaze back around my mind was paralyzed by an anomaly: a panda was hurtling towards me. Panic set in as he collided with me, flinging me from my perch to the waters below. Grabbing at another stick of bamboo in passing I attempted to swing around and go for another pole. Gripping tighly I could feel the pole begin to sway as I spun around it. Before I could finish the maneuver its hold in the ground gave way and I swiftly smashed into the water.

A fog descended upon my mind as the pool enveloped me. Something terribly wrong had happened. Gazing out of the pool things looked odd. Suddenly feeling the burning of my lungs seeking fresh air I swam up and to the edge of the pool. Reaching forward to pull myself out I was greeted by unfamiliar hands that seemed to swim in a gi many sizes to large.

Finally a voice penetrated my haze, the old man who had warned us earlier, "Young sir fall in spring of drowned young girl. Tragic story of young girl who drown here thousand year ago. Now you take shape of young girl."

His last phrase ignited the dread that had been accumulatin the entire stay at these pools. I hastily leaped from the pool to dry ground, yet as i landed Clothes that no longer seemed to fit correctly nearly took me down for another bath. Falling to my knees and looking in the nearest pool I caught a reflection. An unfamiliar face gazed back at me.

A little girl.

My whirling mind tried to process this last morsel as my senses fled my body and I was embraced with the soothing calm of unconsciousness


	2. Chapter 2

Just as it had every day since we returned from China it was raining. A staccato beat drumming down from the sky spelling out the normalcy of things. Or at least, the weather itself was normal. As for us, nothing could ever be normal again. This much was made certain by the stares we recieved from everybody who so much as glanced our way. Though I guess I can't really fault them for it, it's not exactly everyday you see a girl riding a panda, that's walking upright as well, down the streets of Nerima.

The moment we had arrived back in town pops had begun to demand we head to his friends house. His reasons, the ones he gave me, were very simple, and seemed to be an excellent all around solution. We needed a place to stay, food to eat, and somebody who wouldn't faint at things beyond most nermal lives. His old training partner likely would fit every one of those, but I couldn't help but wonder what he was keeping from me this time.

Lost in thought for a time, I had managed to miss the sunset. The world around us had dimmed to slate gray pierced through with yellow of the streetlamps. Looking up at the lights we passed my mind strayed back to it's earlier thoughts. _What surprise was in store next?_

Shaking, everything is shaking. Heart racing I try to figure out what's happening. Looking down I realize pops has stopped and is simply trying to wake me up. Quickly I reach up and hit his head. "Whats the big idea pops, you forget where we're headed already?"

Barking roughly he shakes his head, then turns around and points at a house. "So this is the place then. You stay here, don't wanna scare em before we even get a chance to talk."

Pops hadn't been kidding, this guy really did have some money. Nice big wooden house, fenced in yard, and a dojo out in the back. A dojo. Just the sight was reminding of my loss. A loss I was best not thinking about, with no small amount of effort I wrenched my gaze back to the path before me as I walked to the door.

Ringing the doorbell brought them nearly instantly, the door was thrown open revealing four people staring back out at me. An old man in a simple gi was holding tightly onto the door handle as tears coursed down his cheeks. Next to him was a young woman vainly trying to calm him down. Further down the hall I could see two more peopl, one with short hair staring intently at me, and another with long hair brimming with anger. _What had they been expecting?_

Finally the old man managed to break out of his stupor, "You've finally arrived boy, what took you so long?"

"Daddy, this one's not even a boy."

Reality finally appeared to be sinking in, as he collapses to his knees. With a brief wail he falls the rest of the way to the floor. In one smoothe motion attemps to check his emotional outburst quickly changed to making sure he was ok. Turning back to me the short haired one continued, "Ignore the waterworks over there. Anyway, where's your mommy, you shouldn't be out at night by yourself."

You've done it this time, what a fine impression you're leaving here. Hanging my head I morosely said, "Sorry bout this, I'm Ranma Saotome and I think I need to talk to your father." Evidently my name had preceded me. At the name Saotome passing interest morphed to intense curiousity and unease. For a moment none of them stirred, then the older of the girls turned towards me with a bow. "Oh my, why don't you come in for tea while we wait."

"Just a second," turning backwards I shouted, "Yo, Pops. Get your butt out here."

Barreling around the corner of the house be came to a stop nearby and began to shake his fur dry. I guess wet fur was not big on his list of favorite things these days. From ahead of us I could hear short hair muttering about weird pet names as we headed to the dining room. As I passed the youngest I could feel her gaze trying to see me as a fighter. Just as I sat down she walked over to me, "You seem a bit young for a training trip to China, you any good at Kempo?"

"Yeah, I've been training for a while, what about it?"

"Daddy probably won't be coming round for a while, how bout a quick spar?"

"I guess..."

"Great! Follow me, the dojo's just down the hall from here." Before she had even finished talking, she was practically dragging me in behind her.

Turning to face me across the tatami mats she moved into a basic anything goes stance and shouted out, "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you squirt." Bristling with anger, I took one of my favorite stances, to the untrained eye I hadn't even gotten ready for a fight. After waiting a few moments she came at me with a few slow punches and kicks. To each of these probes I responded the same, I dodged with the most minimal motions side to side. Realizing I was better than she thought her movements slowly sped up, although still yielding the same results.

_Pathetic, I should be mopping the floor with her._ Now the strain was starting to take its toll, my dodges were growing slower by the moment, while her movements were still speeding up. _I need to finish this up soon..._ Leaping to the corner of the room, breath now gasping through my lungs, I concentrated and focused on my energies. Hastily etching a figure into the air with one hand, I directed the energies. Symbols flaring briefly in front of me, a gust of wind slammed into her, knocking her down.

As the energy left my body I could feel a searing pain settle in around me. Falling to one knee I stared forward, as she got back up, eyes wide with amazement. I began to draw more energy when I was interrupted with a cough wracking my body. Drawing my blood flecked sleeve from my mouth I collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Girl, those springs do not choose their victims idly, they seek those strong enough to sustain the curse for years to come. The curse is a parasite, latching onto it's victim and feeding upon your ki, leaving you barely enough to survive. Or so it had always been thought. If you can channel mana then it is also a great gift. Where others have to draw from the things around them, your curse is constantly creating mana from your destroyed energy."

Gasping at the cool touch of an icepad being applied I came to, sensei's words still ringing in my ears. _How could she have known the mana it generates is this very body? _Interrupting my reverie, my opponent started firing off questions, "What's wrong with you? What did you do? How did you do it? Can you teach me how?"

Gesturing for her to stop I tiredly began my explanation, "Magic. A simple air spell, and it is not my knowledge to give away." Before I could go any further short hair strolled in.

"Fathers come to, Ranma, and he wants to have a word with you"

Pulling myself to my feet I followed back to the kitchen where the man was waiting seated at a shogi board. Across the board from him pops was carefully moving a piece. "Ahh, there you are," he greeted as he waved me over to him, "your pet is very well behaved. But I digress, let me introduce myself, I am Soun Tendo of the Tendo school of Anything goes."

"I'm Ranma Saotome, and that 'well trained panda' over there is Genma." Fainting again, it seems pops overestimated his ability to adapt.

AN: Another round with the champ, and it seems the champ musta won, because this is another awfully short chapter. Don't worry, all the happenings between curse and now will eventually be explained, and maybe even in exciting ways far less heavy handed than my current techneques.


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